Coronavirus: South Korea has more recovered patients than sick

A worker cleans inside the Myeongdond subway station in Seoul, South Korea, to protect against the coronavirus pandemic. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo

March 28 (UPI) -- South Korean health officials said Saturday that for the first time since the country's first confirmed coronavirus case, there have been more recoveries than active cases.

According to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 4,881 cases are recovered and 4,597 are active.

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"We believe this to be the result of selfless efforts made by the public, who worked to maintain disinfectant process while actively participating in social distancing," said KCDC Deputy Director Kwon Joon Wook during a regular briefing.

The Johns Hopkins University global trackerindicates that South Korea has the 10th highest number of cases in the world with 9,478 cases and 144 deaths. Worldwide, there have been at least 615,000 cases and 28,700 deaths.

Italy has the second highest number of cases in the world -- 86,498 -- and has been hardest hit in regard to number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic. The country has reported 9,134 deaths and recorded its worst 24 hours Friday with 919 deaths from the respiratory illness between Thursday and Friday alone.

China now has the third-highest number of cases, 81,996, and 3,299 deaths.

Spain is the second-hardest hit country in Europe with 72,248 cases and 5,690 deaths. It also reported Friday a record one-day figure for fatalities after 769 people died in 24 hours.

India, which has 1.3 billion people, the second-highest population in the world next to China, has the world's largest coronavirus lockdown and thousands of migrant workers are trying to leave major cities after the lockdown left them without jobs or pay.

More than 9 million migrant workers a year move from India's rural areas to cities to find work at construction sites or factories and send money back to their families, according to government statistics. Now, many of them are left with no choice but to return home since those businesses are closed due to the lockdown.

India has 933 confirmed cases and 20 deaths, but the country has been criticized for not testing enough. Its testing rate is 6.8 tests per million, one of the lowest rates in the world. The country initially insisted on testing only those who traveled to high-risk countries or had come in contact with an infected person or health workers treating coronavirus patients, but later said anyone admitted to the hospital with severe respiratory distress should also be tested.

Only state labs in India were allowed to test for coronavirus initially and now permission has been extended to several private labs. In the past few days, the country has increased testing as the first made-in-India coronavirus testing kits reached the market.

The government-run Indian Council for Medical Research said Mylab was the only Indian company to achieve 100 percent accurate results.

Virologist Minal Dakhave Bhosale, Mylab research and development chief, submitted the testing kit to the National Institute of Virology to evaluate on March 18.

"Our kit gives the diagnosis in two and a half hours while the imported testing kits take six or seven hours," she said.

Pandemic empties streets, public spaces around the world

Playground equipment is closed off to children to help stop the spread of COVID-19 at a park in Takoma Park, Md., on April 15. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Pedestrians cross a quiet Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on April 15. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Few automobiles move up the FDR Drive at the end of the day in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Archbishop of Washington Wilton Daniel Gregory (C) holds Easter mass to a virtual congregation at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on April 12. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Few tourists are seen at Dotonbori shopping quarters in Osaka, Japan, on April 4. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Visitors are scarce in Chinatown in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, Japan on April 4. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

A man walks in an empty arrivals hall in the Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, near Tel Aviv, on April 1. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

Sparse traffic passes a sign of the times on Interstate 465 in Indianapolis on April 1. Photo by Edwin Locke/UPI | License Photo

Park benches are sectioned off to the public on the National Mall April 1 as the Washington, D.C. government issues a stay at home order. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

North Capitol Street leading to the U.S. Capitol is nearly empty. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

A field hospital is ready to take sick patients in Central Park in New York City on April 1. The tents are located along the East Meadow near Mount Sinai Hospital and are being used as an overflow medical center. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

A pedestrian crosses California Street in San Francisco on March 29. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

A Palestinian wears a protective mask outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, closed because of the coronavirus restrictions, in Jerusalem's Old City on March 28. The Israeli government has imposed tight restrictions of movement, leaving only essential stores open in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

The streets of downtown London are near empty after Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a national lockdown on March 27. Johnson has tested positive for the coronavirus. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo

A view down an empty Las Vegas Boulevard. Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License Photo

The street is empty in front of the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore hotels during the coronavirus shutdown of the Strip in Las Vegas on March 26. Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License Photo

Pedestrians walk in an uncrowded Central Park in New York City on March 26. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

A couple of lone pedestrians cross Madison Avenue during rush hour in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

A child rides a scooter on the empty plaza in front of the U.S. Supreme Court after the coronavirus pandemic forced the high court to postpone arguments, in Washington, D.C on March 26. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

The normally busy lunchtime area of Kiener Plaza is all but empty in St. Louis, Mo., on March 25. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

In a rare moment, no cars or people are seen in one of the San Francisco's premier tourist sites, the Golden Gate Bridge, on March 25. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

A pedestrian wearing a protective mask crosses a Manhattan street near the George Washington Bridge in New York City on March 24. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Only a couple of beachgoers are found along Zuma Beach in Malibu, Calif., on March 23. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

A couple walks through the deserted Third Street mall in Santa Monica, Calif., on March 23. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

The normally packed Crown Candy Kitchen is empty at lunchtime in St. Louis on March 23. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

A woman crosses Seventh Avenue as it rains in a near empty Times Square in New York City on March 23. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

No lines at Union Station as the coronavirus brings train travel to a near stop in Washington, D.C., on March 23. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

No visitors are at the Lincoln Memorial on March 23 after Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser stopped vehicle access to the National Mall and closed pedestrian access to the cherry blossoms. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

A normally bustling First Street is eerily quiet in the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles on March 22. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

A homeless encampment in the shadow of Los Angeles City Hall on March 22 is vacant after the city moved 6,000 homeless people into 42 recreation centers. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

The United Artists Theatre offers a whimsical missive on its marquee in downtown Los Angeles on March 22. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

The 110 Harbor Freeway in downtown Los Angeles on March 22, a Sunday afternoon, a time when traffic would normally be heavier. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

Grant Avenue in San Francisco's Chinatown is almost empty on March 22. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

The normally full parking lot at the 55-store Hagerstown Premium Outlets in Hagerstown, Md., is empty as the business complex is closed due to the coronavirus response on March 22. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

Two students walk down the long stairwell in front of Brookings Administration Building at Washington University in St. Louis on March 19. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Very light traffic is seen from the Red Line Train at San Francisco International Airport on March 19. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

A man wears a protective mask in a scarcely populated bus station in central Tel Aviv on March 16. Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE

The Beverly Center mall in Los Angeles is empty of customers on March 18. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

Tourist areas of Los Angeles are empty on March 18, including the original Farmers Market. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

The Hollywood and Highland Center on March 18. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

Historic Olvera Street sits empty in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic on March 18. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

The Hollywood Casino is empty of cars after closing in Maryland Heights, Mo., on March 18. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

The morning rush hour in Times Square in New York City see little pedestrian traffic on March 18. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Military personnel disinfect streets in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, on March 18. Photo by Lavandeira Jr/EPA-EFE

The U.S. Capitol Rotunda stands empty in Washington, D.C. on March 17. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo

Very few travelers fill the floors at Newark International Airport in Newark, N.J. on March 16. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

A lone person walks through departures at Narita International Airport in Chiba prefecture, Japan on March 16. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Signs reminding riders of proper hygiene and other steps to help combat the spread of the coronavirus are seen at the Farragut West Metro Station in Washington, D.C., on March 16. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Commuters walk in a near empty Grand Central Station Terminal between 7:30 and 8 a.m. March 16 in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Streets and sidewalks remain empty during rush hour on March 16 in the central business district of Beijing. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

Public health warnings are on display on roads and bus stops in Beijing on March 16. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

"Closed" signs are seen at check-in counters at Tokyo International Airport on March 15. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

A lone package of toilet paper sits on the shelf at a Target store in Medina, Ohio on March 15. Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo

The office of Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state is closed on March 12 in Washington, D.C. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo

The courtyard in front of the chapel sits vacant at lunchtime on the usually bustling Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, Calif. on March 10. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

A man stands outside on an empty shopping center sidewalk in New Rochelle, N.Y. on March 10. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

An interior view of the nearly empty Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcades in Milan, Italy, on March 8. Photo by Matteo Corner/EPA-EFE

A street in Seoul's Namdaemun market, a popular tourist destination, is nearly empty on March 4. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo

A restaurant in Seoul's Namdaemun market is completely empty on March 4. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo

A normally thriving tourist district has been closed, except to those with a special permit, due to the threat of spreading the deadly coronavirus in Beijing on March 5. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

Tokyo Disney has no visitors in Urayasu, Chiba-Prefecture, Japan on February 29. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Few passengers are seen at Tokyo Disney station in Urayasu, Chiba-Prefecture, Japan on February 29. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

A subway platorm is nearly empty in Daegu, South Korea on February 21. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo

A worker wears a protective face mask in a closed park in Beijing on February 13. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

A main train station remains quiet as Chinese are allowed to return to the capital after a lengthened Lunar New Year holiday due to the threat of spreading the deadly coronavirus in Beijing on February 10. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

One of the capital's main subway stations is nearly empty during a normally busy rush hour in Beijing on February 6. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

The Forbidden City, as well as other popular tourist destinations, have been closed as the Chinese government takes steps to counter the spread of coronavirus in Beijing on January 26. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo